PorkPieGuy
Platinum Member
Disclaimer: I know sound techs can be female as well, but I'm using "guy" here because I don't think I've ever worked with a female sound engineer, but I look forward to the day I do!
I've been doing this a long time, and I'm pretty sure I know how to tune drums ok. Sound guys are all different though. I'm pretty sure I have my kick drum and my snare sound pretty squared away, but the toms can be another story. I feel like some of the sound guys are totally cool with toms with lots of sustain. Some like a more dampened toms, then they like to add their own reverb, effects. I know in theory that I should just tune drums the way I like them, and make them deal with whatever sound I show up with, but I like to be accommodating and have the best sound possible in the house. At this point, I tune my toms lower in pitch with a nice bit of sustain, and then I bring a couple of extra Snareweight M80's with me in case there's an undesirable (and unpredictable based on the room) ring or hum coming from the toms. With the Snareweights, I can adjust the amount of muffling/de-ringing as necessary.
Is there a certain sound that sound guys want from the toms, or is it just all over the board everywhere? The latter seems to be the case based on my experience, but I'm just curious if I'm missing something here.
(In case anyone is curious, I gig out with either a Ludwig Classic Maple (20, 12, 14) or a Pork Pie USA (22, 12, 16). I use single-ply clear Remo Ambassadors on the bottom and Remo Ambassador coated on the batters.)
I've been doing this a long time, and I'm pretty sure I know how to tune drums ok. Sound guys are all different though. I'm pretty sure I have my kick drum and my snare sound pretty squared away, but the toms can be another story. I feel like some of the sound guys are totally cool with toms with lots of sustain. Some like a more dampened toms, then they like to add their own reverb, effects. I know in theory that I should just tune drums the way I like them, and make them deal with whatever sound I show up with, but I like to be accommodating and have the best sound possible in the house. At this point, I tune my toms lower in pitch with a nice bit of sustain, and then I bring a couple of extra Snareweight M80's with me in case there's an undesirable (and unpredictable based on the room) ring or hum coming from the toms. With the Snareweights, I can adjust the amount of muffling/de-ringing as necessary.
Is there a certain sound that sound guys want from the toms, or is it just all over the board everywhere? The latter seems to be the case based on my experience, but I'm just curious if I'm missing something here.
(In case anyone is curious, I gig out with either a Ludwig Classic Maple (20, 12, 14) or a Pork Pie USA (22, 12, 16). I use single-ply clear Remo Ambassadors on the bottom and Remo Ambassador coated on the batters.)